


Prometheus

by laurus_nobilis



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-20 04:51:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurus_nobilis/pseuds/laurus_nobilis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clow reads a book that makes him think more than he'd like to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prometheus

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Tsukimine Shrine's "Study" challenge.

**England, 1818**

Clow put his recently finished reading aside and took off his glasses. Quite disturbing, that book...

It had been a while since he had last read something that made him think so much, even with his library's constant growth. He would never get tired of collecting books. He loved them, because trough them he could escape from reality; not even he could see a fictional future. Stories with unexpected endings were one of the few things he could still enjoy.

As for this particular book, it was a novel he had bought out of mere curiosity. The title wasn't very revealing, but the subtitle had attracted him irresistibly...

_The Modern Prometheus_. He should have suspected that it would lead him to this. Though there was no reason why the story should upset him, really. He was nothing like doctor Frankenstein.

At least, he wanted to believe that.

He put his glasses back on with a sigh, and grabbed the sheets of paper where he had been making notes as he read.

_“Treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way,”_ he had copied, _“explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.”_

He had to drop the habit of making notes while reading, Clow thought. It could be incriminating.

However, it hadn't been his yearning for knowledge what had sent Frankenstein the wrong way. It was his lack of prevention what ruined everything. He had wanted to create a living being, yes... and then what? That was something he hadn't thought about.

He searched for another of the sentences he had copied: _“In a fit of enthusiastic madness I created a rational creature and was bound towards him to assure, as far as was in my power, his happiness and well-being.”_

Well, they were very different about that. Clow had had great success at that stage. Smiling, he looked through the library's window: Yue was reading under a tree, or trying to, while Kerberos flew around him to convince him of playing together. Happiness and well-being.

Frankenstein, on the other hand, was quite irresponsible. He simply shouldn't have messed with things that were beyond his strength. He wasn't made for that.

But how to know if one was strong enough without trying?

Clow shook his head as if trying to chase away that thought. It was different... he had always known that things would turn out alright. He had seen all of them, the Cards and the Guardians, long before creating them.

No, it wasn't because of that that the story had upset him. It made him think, not about what had been, but about what _could_ have been. If his visions had been mistaken, if anything had gone wrong...

He didn't regret what he had done. He could never regret it. But something was true: he had been young and arrogant, and he hadn't even thought about the possibility of a mistake. He hadn't thought about the limits... his power's, or his life's. What would become of his creations after he died? That was the problem that had been worrying him for a while now.

He had chosen a very bad moment to read that book. Instead of distracting himself, he had only managed to worry further.

He had already been making plans, actually. He hadn't thought about all the details yet, but the idea was beginning to be shaped. He knew who would be his successor. He had seen the girl; he knew that everyone would be happy with her. Just a little more tweaking...

But he hadn't wanted to think about that, and reading hadn't been the best idea to forget the matter. It was quite ironic; he had stood proud before all his enemies, he hadn't let the leaders of the Li clan intimidate him, and now a girl with an excess of imagination made him nervous. He was getting old.

He needed some sport; a bit of exercise so he wouldn't have to think. Archery in the garden, perhaps. That would keep him concentrated for a while. He placed the book and his notes on the table and left the library.

Something stopped him, however, as he was crossing the door: the image of a green eyed girl playing badminton. He smiled slightly. So she liked sports, too.

He had chosen his successor well, Clow thought. A cheerful, kind girl, who would make everyone around her happy, and who would be able to take care of his creations without the need to wonder if she was similar to doctor Frankenstein.


End file.
